Jim Beauregard's Tasting Notes: More gluten-free choices

Recall from last time that Celiac disease, a nasty thing, rules out consumption of the wheat that is found in so much of our food. An alternative to beers made with wheat or barley, gluten-free beers are made from plants that don't contain gluten, and these include so-called "grist materials" from malted sorghum, buckwheat and common millet.

So let's continue the journey where we left off with tasting notes of more gluten-free beers (prices are from Bert's Better Beers in Hooksett):

New Planet Pale Ale, $3.15. Amber gold, light tan head, sorghum and brown rice extract in this one, a nose that gives some malty sense, balanced and strong palate with good bitterness, hops that come through with a malt flavor, also well-balanced, intense flavors of hops and light malt. Both this one and the one above could pass for regular old beers if you didn't know they were made differently.

New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale, $3.15. Very light nose, white head with just the tiniest hint of pink, gold beer, and the raspberry comes through on the palate, ripe and rich, this can be a draw to anyone who likes fruit beers, the raspberry stays with you along a long, steady finish.

S'Peter's Sorgham Beer, $5.75. A little skunky when opened, then hops hints, white head, pale gold beer, all hops, no malt on the palate, very good bitterness, I think of this one as a food beer, paired with something spicy.

Green's Tripel Blonde Ale, $6.45. Blonde it is, light gold, pale, white head, fresh bracing nose of white fruit, hints of tartness, bracing flavors of fruit, not overwhelming, but held well in balance, on the white fruit, citrus end of the spectrum. Pleasing finish.

Green's Dubbel Dark Ale, $6.45. Brown, heading toward black beer, light brown head, and this one's made from millet, buckwheat, rice, sorghum, hops, yeast and water. The nose is very light, hints of fruit in the citrus region. Medium body, medium bitterness, good carbonation, balanced components, and the flavor profile brings the fruit, also some balanced bitterness in harmony on a long finish.

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So there you have it. My conclusion, sitting here at a table full of gluten-free beer each missing a pour, is that there's hope for beer lovers who may have had to give it up in the past because their body said no.

If you're interested, stop by Bert's in Hooksett, and ask him to point you toward the gluten-free section. It's right near the mead, which is gluten-free, too.